New York state briefs

OSWEGO – Plans to introduce a new, more interactive Oswego County Tourism Web site continue to move forward as planned, with a relaunch date estimated for the end of April.

The plans to improve the site were first laid out in January by Dave Turner, director of Community Development, Planning and Tourism, during his 2008 department overview. Turner updated the Economic Planning and Development Committee last week, informing them that the process of relaunching the site is heading into its final stages.

“We’ve just got to tweak a few things,” Turner said. “All the information is there. Now we are just adding some more graphics and fine tuning things, making sure everything is done correctly.”

The new tourism site will, for the first time, be separate from the county government site although users will be able to link to that site if they desire. Turner noted that by making the site more attractive and interactive, there are hopes to not only bring new businesses and tourists to the area, but to benefit private sector partners as well.

“I would describe the new site as more interactive and much more up-to-date with events going on and new map features. For example, if someone is visiting Oswego County and is looking for a campsite, you will not just get a list of sites, you will be able to link directly to that business’ Web site. If all goes as planned, users will be able to link directly to the site of many of our partnering businesses,” he said. “There will also be updated weather features that can be checked by those planning a trip to the area.... It is really, all around, more user friendly.”

The new Web site will also have capabilities for streaming video footage.

Once relaunched, the new County Tourism Web site can be found at www.visitoswegocounty.com. For those interested in visiting the current tourism department Web site, you can go directly to it by using the above address or by going to www.oswegocounty.com and clicking on the tourism office.

College delays search for president

BRIGHTON — Monroe Community College has postponed scheduled interviews with two presidential candidates this week and scheduled a special meeting of the college’s board of trustees to address the next step.

Former Monroe County Legislator Bill Smith and business owner Dennis Kessler were set to have their two-day visits to the college campus this week. Instead, they’ll have to wait until after MCC’s spring break, which is from April 13 to 20. Kenneth Ender, president of Cumberland County College in Vineland, N.J., and Laurence Spraggs, president of Broome Community College, will still have their visits, which are scheduled for next week.

College spokeswoman Cynthia Cooper said the interviews were rescheduled and the special meeting was set up because of issues recently brought to the board’s attention by Trustee John Parrinello. On March 28, Parrinello, a Rochester-based attorney, sent a letter to board chair Richard Guon outlying 17 points he felt called for scrapping the current search process and starting anew. Parrinello said the current candidates could remain in the running if the process is started over.

Among some of his complaints are:

• No ads were placed locally for candidates until members of the board of trustees complained.
• The confidentiality of the process was threatened when names of possible candidates were leaked.

Teen gets perfect SAT score

WEBSTER — It was the last thing 16-year-old Jie Yuan expected.

The high school junior and Webster resident received the highest score possible on the SAT: a 2,400.

“I was surprised and happy,” said Jie, who attends the Harley School in Brighton.

Jie was signed up to take an eight-week course to help him prepare for the test. On the practice tests, Jie never scored above a 2,220.

Last year, about 1.5 million students took the SAT, and only 269 achieved a perfect score, according to Aimee Lewis, director of communications for the Harley School. Of those students, 28 were from New York.

Since 2005, the SAT has had a possible 2,400 points, since the College Board added a new writing section, according to the board’s Web site. The new section added an additional 800 points to the test, which raised the bar from 1,600 to 2,400 possible points.

Jie can be found studying two to three hours a day.

Somehow, Jie manages to fit chess, piano and volunteering into his schedule.

Jie is considering pursuing a degree in the medical field after high school. Right now, he’s looking at only a handful of colleges: Cornell University, the Rochester Institute of Technology and possibly Harvard.

Cash sought for sidewalks near schools

BRIGHTON — This town and neighboring Pittsford have applied for Safe Routes to School grants through which the state doles out federal money to municipalities to help pay for sidewalks and bike paths near schools.

The Federal Highway Administration set up the grant program in 2005, but this is the first year that New York is eligible for the money. The state is expected to receive more than $10 million in 2009. The application deadline was April 1 and selection announcements will be made this summer. Likely start dates for construction would be 2009.

In Pittsford, Commissioner of Public Works Paul Schenkel said the town wants to install more than half a mile of sidewalk to connect Calkins Road Middle School to pavement in place near Mendon Center Elementary School on Mendon Center Road. He added that another length may be added around the Calkins Road and Tobey Road intersections toward Stone Road. Pittsford applied for $100,000 in grants for the project.

Tom Low, Brighton’s commissioner of public works, said his town requested $45,000 to install about 800 feet of sidewalk from Sienna Catholic Academy at 2617 East Ave. south toward Ambassador Drive. Any new sidewalks would connect to current ones in the neighborhood, he added. Brighton would spend $12,000 on top of the $45,000 to cover the cost.

Horses get royal treatment at symposium

MOHAWK – The Jaquays Farm in Mohawk on Sunday transformed into a horse day spa, as local equines received the full spectrum of pampering and attention. Horses trotted around in a relaxed state as owners scrambled to learn how to keep their four-legged transportation happy.

Such kindness came about as a result of the first ever Everything Equine Symposium, where both animals and owners alike benefited from an afternoon of demonstrations in the latest techniques in caring for horses.

Guest speakers explained several different aspects of horse health including massage, dentistry and even acupuncture. An attorney also answered horse-related legal questions.

“There’s nothing like this in the area.” said Melissa Jaquays, owner.

Legal advice came free of charge courtesy of Ann Manion, an attorney out of Utica,

Her main message consisted of the buyer beware motto as being the standard in New York.

Manion advised pre-purchase exams by a vet to avoid problems with injured or sick animals and emphasized getting everything in writing, similar to a house or vehicle purchase.

Jaquays said the turnout was fantastic and focused on the need for similar sharing of ideas between owners, regardless if they show horses or have them as a pet and companion. “There’s not enough information out there for the local horse person. We need to get out of the dark.”

The Jaquays farms is planning to have two more similar events, one in the summer and one in fall, to promote the appropriate treatment of horses.